Streets of Rosen
by Splatter Fall
Summary: This is the pilot chapter of a supernatural AU - its furthered existence depends on feedback.


_Before this pilot gets started, I wanna say that dear Lolo Popoki couldn't beta for me because her computer suffered a lightning-related case of Suddendeathitis. D: So please excuse any mistakes I might have missed._

Hope you enjoy!

~ ;3 ~

New Rosen was the sort of city one might expect to see on a post card, or in a photo spread heading an article about industry and advancement. A sprawling waterfront metropolis built on international trade and supported by exchange and the quest for wealth, it was the gathering place of the affluent and powerful, a hub of business and culture. Everyone and everything in New Rosen moved at a blurring pace, and if you couldn't keep up, then you weren't going to succeed.

It was not only this fast-paced, make-it-or-break-it atmosphere that attracted the young and hopeful – or established and wealthy – but also the city's beauty; soaring skylines banked on one side by the vast ocean, the city was ever-expanding and carefully crafted to look like a modern paradise of glass, steel and concrete softened by dazzling public gardens and parks.

Yes, New Rosen was an industrial work of art worthy of its reputation as a capitol of fashion and culture, a city of anything and everything. Like a living entity, ever-changing.

Even its name was intriguing: _New Rosen._ It was odd because there was no sister city, no Old Rosen standing as a testament to days gone by, and one would have to do some serious digging to solve this mystery. Both literally and figuratively, for "Old Rosen" still existed – it hadn't been torn down or destroyed before the new city had risen. And if one were to venture past New Rosen's stunning skylines, bypass the breath-taking gardens, ignore the hot-spots of fashion, glamor and business and look deeper into the city, well below the streets and noise, they would find Old Rosen in its new form; buried and used as foundation for the bustling city above.

Below New Rosen, Old Rosen stood as a labyrinth of snaking streets and hidden buildings cast in blind darkness and unknown to most of the population above. But then again if its existence were common knowledge, it wouldn't be nearly as useful for those creative souls who found themselves compelled to give the old city a new purpose.

As might be expected of such a place, Old Rosen was the bane of law enforcement from the city above, providing any manner of cover for the less-than-savory dealings that were conducted well away from the public eye. Drug smuggling, weapons trading, human trafficking... If it could be brought into the city by some means and snuck below ground, Old Rosen harbored it. And despite many attempts to seal the buried city off, to seek out and close any entrances, Old Rosen was still an impressive mark on New Rosen's perfect finish.

But in truth, the old city's secrets, and its influence, were more far-reaching and varied than anyone could have expected. Well, anyone other than those who knew the dark streets intimately and brought new life to a city that just refused to die.

~ ;3 ~

Reed exhaled a wary sigh as he settled onto a stool facing the counter in a small bar on a back street in New Rosen. Washed in warm light, the little place was a welcome retreat from the harsh winter winds of the streets outside. But it was getting late – nearing eleven o'clock now – and he would have to face the nasty weather again sooner than he would have liked.

Reed was an older man, his hair graying and his face sporting laugh lines around pale blue eyes. Friends with the bar tender – another man getting up in years – Reed made a point of visiting the place every day to have a drink and read the newspaper. But lately, the news had been playing out like a broken record.

Reed exhaled a slow breath as his eyes skimmed over the headline of the paper set on the bar top in front of him. Tensions had been running high in the world ever since the rather sudden and unexpected revelation of the existence of supernatural creatures two years prior. Yes, _supernatural_, and all that the word implied.

It had all started with the werefolk; apparently they had decided that they were sick of carrying on the lies crafted by their lineage and had chosen pretty much unanimously to make a rather spectacular debut on national television. This had prompted a domino effect of sorts in the supernatural world; shortly following the werefolk, magic-users of all kinds had swarmed the spotlight to proclaim their existence, and soon after them, the vampires had revealed themselves as well. Reed wasn't sure if the second and third parties had felt they would have safety in numbers if they followed the werefolk, or if they simply hadn't wanted to be outdone. Didn't really matter.

Immediately following this incident, the general human population had flipped their shit, and a rash of anti-supernatural organizations had sprung up around the world. Luckily the more-than-human population had been prepared for this sort of reaction, and with the help of some surprisingly-supportive governments, disaster – and possible genocide – had been averted.

But this didn't mean things had quieted down in the two years since "the Revelation." The political implications of having not one, but _three_ new races capable of controlling the world meant that new policies, laws, regulations and military powers had to be put in place, both as a safe-guard against takeover threats and as a means to assuage the panic of the human population. Dealing with the abrupt shift in power was at the top of the entire world's to-do list; the idea of enemy countries building up armies of supernatural beings was not a pleasant one.

Witches were, surprisingly, quickly and widely accepted as being entirely human, but with benefits, so the transition was easier for them. The newly-formed – and in Reed's opinion, poorly-named – Board of Mystical Force Regulation handled most of the dealings with magic, and by all accounts everything on that front was going smoothly. The magical community was providing transparency with their powers and helping as much as they could to move things along, and they seemed set on settling neatly into society and creating their new place in the world.

The werefolk and vampires were trying hard to achieve the same goal, but it was far more difficult for them. Being viewed as "less than human" and thus more dangerous meant that they faced an uphill battle for even the most basic of rights, but they were determined.

Coupled with this were the world-wide protests constantly being staged and splattered all over the news. Rallies both for and against the supernatural community had become the daily norm, but fortunately most governments were trying to remain unbiased and deal with this turn of events calmly and with care. And for those supernaturals who lived in less accepting parts of the world, these neutral powers provided refuge.

And taking the place of another hot topic for discussion were the crackdowns on groups who targeted supernaturals, commonly referred to as "slayer's guilds." But since clear outlines had yet to be drawn as to the specific rights of supernaturals, few arrests of guild members had been made. A strict ban had been laid on any continuation of guild activity, though. At least until the politics were sorted out.

Ah yes, the world was changing. Powers were shifting both in and out of the public eye and nothing could ever be the same again. But strangely, it didn't seem to occur to the world at large that maybe not every secret had been revealed yet, not every card shown. That there might be other still-hidden races observing the proceedings from the sidelines and waiting to see the outcome.

The world had been plunged into chaos two years ago, and true order had yet to be restored. And it was providing one hell of a show for those creatures who chose to remain hidden in the shadows.

Ah, but at least there was one headline that was still interesting, Reed mused as he folded the pages of his newspaper back. The front page of the paper was dominated by a photo of a beautiful, sharp-eyed woman, and beneath the picture was a caption that read "Mayor Alvida."

New Rosen, being the "forward-thinking" city that it was, had been the first city in the world to knowingly elect a vampire to a position in public office. Lady Alvida had become the mayor one year to the day after the Revelation. She had been murdered six months later.

The case, which had yet to be solved, had provided a wealth of entertainment for the city at large, and the mourning period that followed Mayor Alvida's death seemed more staged than heartfelt. This was most likely due to the fact that dear Lady Alvida had been under investigation for crimes ranging from fraud, to enabling drug smuggling through the city, to murder and kidnapping.

Classy lady.

Suspicion had quickly fallen on Alvida's inner circle, the small group of vampires she kept around her at all times. But more well-informed citizens could tell you that those vampires hadn't played a part in her death. A keen eye and a bit of knowledge about the true workings of the world and what was hiding in the dark would provide more accurate answers than any investigation the New Rosen Police Department could stage.

But then again, Reed concluded, some mysteries were better left unsolved, weren't they?

The little bell above the bar's entrance chimed merrily as the door was nudged open, admitting a harsh gust of winter wind as well as a darkly-clothed figure. Reed paid mild interest to the man as he paused just inside the door to shake light snow from his shoulders, then crossed the space to take a seat a few stools down from Reed. He ordered a drink and then fell silent, arms propped on the bar and face tipped down, presumably warming up after escaping the wicked cold outside.

Reed took a moment to study the man from the corner of his eye in the warm light cast from the bar. He was bundled up in a well-worn black leather bomber jacket with a dark fur collar, which served to block most of his face from view, but Reed could still pick out details. Tan skin, dark eyes that seemed to be watching the entire room and everyone in it at once, and three gold earrings falling from the left ear. He had a black fedora on, and between that and the high collar of his jacket Reed couldn't discern hair color.

When the stranger had taken his seat he had set an oddly-shaped case against the bar by his legs. Made of dark wood, long and narrow, it had one heavy strap for over the shoulder and two other straps wrapped around it to buckle at the front and keep it securely closed. By the way he kept it so close to him, Reed guessed it probably held something very important.

The case held Reed's attention for a moment before his pale eyes glittered with interest and he slid off his stool to move a few seats over and claim the spot right next to the stranger. This earned him a sharp glance and Reed made a show of _not_ touching the case that leaned against the bar.

"Hell of a winter, eh?" Reed said easily as he sent the other man a crooked grin.

His dark-eyed friend made no response, instead silently sipping his drink, but Reed seemed unfazed by his lack of reaction.

"Yup," the older man continued amiably, "haven't seen such a nasty winter in a good long time. Seems nature's out to get me these days. The cold goes right to my knees." He laughed. "Reminds me how old I'm gettin', not that I need reminding."

Again, the stranger made no comment, but he also didn't send Reed away, so the older man took that as an invitation to conversation, whether it was meant as one or not.

"I'm sure you've seen the news, stranger. Unless of course you just came into town," Reed commented as he dropped his paper on the counter in front of his silent friend. The picture of the late Lady Alvida gazed up at the pair like a ghost. "Hell of a story, eh?"

The newcomer's dark eyes fell on the photo, seemingly with little interest, but Reed saw a brief glimmer of some emotion, like recognition. That could just be from having seen Alvida's picture around the city – she had been in the media almost constantly, after all - but Reed had a feeling it was a little more than that.

"And to think they haven't solved the crime yet," Reed said with a shake of his head, then leaned on the bar, his gaze measuring as he watched the other man's reaction. "Wonder who could have done such a thing?"

"One of her inner circle?" the stranger offered mildly, his first words since entering the place and a small victory for Reed.

"Nah," the older man shook his head, "they might be rats, those vampires she kept with her, but I don't think it was any of them. I've seen the pictures; it's like some sort of demon took our fair lady tyrant apart."

His drinking partner cracked an amused smirk at that. Interesting.

"But if you ask me," Reed continued, "whoever it was, they did the whole lot of us a favor by bloodyin' their hands when no one else would." He drained the rest of his drink and set the empty glass aside on the counter with a dull _thump._

"Braver than me," he carried on with an open grin, "but I'll take the favor."

"You could get yourself in trouble with that sort of talk," the other man commented as he sipped his drink, but Reed just laughed and made a dismissive gesture with one hand.

"Depends on who hears," Reed commented with an edge of amusement, "and I think I'm in good company. Besides, I haven't drawn attention yet, and never cared much anyway for the Powers That Be," he drawled, and cast a sidelong look at the man seated next to him as he added, "But what about yourself, stranger? Hold much respect for the great leaders of our city?"

"I'm not much for politics," the other man replied simply, and drained the last of his drink. But as he got to his feet he dropped a few bills on the bar top and gestured for another round to replace Reed's empty glass, and that was a more telling answer anyway.

Reed watched him walk away with a lingering half-smile, and once the door swung shut and the man was gone, Reed turned back to the bar and his fresh drink and peered down at the scarred wood of the bar top with a contemplative air.

"Friend of yours?" the man behind the bar asked, drawing Reed's attention as he gazed across the room, studying the closed door the stranger had exited through a moment earlier.

"Yours too," Reed replied as he lifted his glass in a toast and flashed a quick grin. The bartender just cocked a quizzical brow at him, then shrugged and went about his business, and Reed shook his head and laughed.

Yup, he thought, certainly one hell of a city.

! ~ ;3 ~ !

**IMPORTANT INFORMATION AHEAD! PLEASE READ!**

Uh-oh boys, you're not in Kansas anymore.

Okay, I'm going to take a moment to try and answer questions that might crop up from you guys reading this. O-o

First, yeah, this is an AU. XD It's my first attempt at writing out of the One Piece universe, and I decided to jump in with both feet and go straight for SUPERNATURAL! If this story gets out of the development stages, you'll be seeing many characters from OP so far, including the entire Strawhat crew. As for the story itself, it will most likely take place from Zoro's point of view. Somehow this story tells me that he's the one to keep with, and since my stuff usually writes itself, I'm gonna go with it. XD Instincts, don't fail me now!

The world it's set in is NOT the real world, which is why there is a conspicuous lack of country names in this pilot. It takes place in a fictional world, which fell out of my brain one night. :v

Uhm, as for the whole New-Rosen-Old-Rosen dynamic, yes it's possible. XD There are real cities built on top of old cities, and in some places you can actually go underground and take a walk in buried streets. In reality these buried cities may not be as _expansive_ as Old Rosen, but then again, fiction is for fun. XD

Let's see... Possible pairings... Really I haven't decided yet. I think that'll be something that gets decided as the story progresses. :v I'll have to see what seemed natural. Of course, suggestions for what you'd like to see are always welcome. ;3

And yes I know the whole vampire thing has been done a million times, but I'm hoping I can do it justice! XDDD

Well anyway, this story's continuation depends on the feedback I get for this pilot chapter. If it's well-received, then I know it's worth putting my work into. :3 So if you're feeling generous, please leave a review before you go, with any thoughts or opinions you might have! Would you read it? Does it sound spiffy? Is it lame-tastic? :'D

Thanks!

P.S. Anyone who can place the city's name gets a cookie and a hug. :'D


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